US fighter jet struck and disabled an oil tanker headed for Iran’s Kharg Island

A Hellfire missile fired from a U.S. fighter jet disabled an oil tanker heading for the Iranian port of Kharg Island after the vessel “ignored repeated warnings” and did not comply with directions issued under a U.S.-naval maritime blockade, U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said Tuesday.

Centcom “enforced blockade measures against Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it transited international waters toward Kharg Island,” the command said in a statement, referring to one of Iran’s primary oil export terminals.

The release noted that the ship’s crew failed to follow directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period.

“A U.S. aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran,” according to the command.

Military officials said the tanker was unladen, meaning it was not carrying oil or other cargo at the time it was intercepted.

U.S. forces have disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 since April 13, when Washington began implementing the blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports around the Strait of Hormuz.

Centcom on Friday disabled a ship flying under a Gambian flag after the vessel did not heed numerous warnings, according to a statement shared by the command on social media.

In that case, American forces also fired a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room.

President Trump announced the blockade – a major part of his administration’s pressure campaign against Tehran to come to the table for peace negotiations – after earlier talks between Iranian and American delegations fell through in April.

A tentative deal between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz seemed possible over the weekend, but discussions appear to have again faltered since then.

The vial waterway now has been closed for more than three months, causing global energy prices to skyrocket given that roughly a fifth of the world’s oil consumption flows through the strait under typical conditions.

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